It seems that almost every week another long awaited sequel is announced by a major production company. We're in a world ruled by nostalgia, where classic movies and TV shows have the potential to return for new entries, much to the delight of the original audience. And while many of these revivals have to do with bringing us back to our childhood roots (the fact that Harry Potter and Pokemon are both trending should make this clear), not all long-awaited sequels have this intention. 2003's Bad Santa, which starred a particularly grimy Billy Bob Thorton, is finally getting a sequel in time for the Holiday season.
Bad Santa 2 has just released its first full length trailer, and it's pretty gold. Be warned, this video is definitely not suitable for work.
Seriously, I warned you this wasn't a kid-friendly sequel. Bad Santa's sequel, which is a whopping 13 years in the making, seems to faithfully bring back both the plot and the majority of the cast. Let's break down exactly what we're seeing.
To start, it looks like Willie and Marcus (Tony Cox) are back for yet another scam. As the trailer points out, this is quite surprising considering the events of the first film. The climactic action-packed ending of Bad Santa has Marcus attempting to kill Willie, fed up with his negligence throughout all the years. It looks like Willie really needs some cold hard cash because, despite the bullet wounds had by both, they're going back into business together.
Also returning from Bad Santa is the tragic little boy Thurman, played by Brett Kelly. Of course, he's no longer a little boy and the character has just turned 21 years old. Brett Kelly hasn't worked a ton as an adult, so Bad Santa 2 has the potential to jumpstart his career as a fully grown actor. For a still undisclosed reasons, Thurman somehow gets (or stays) in touch with Willie, and it appears he somehow gets roped into the chaos of the movie's plot.
Of course, Bad Santa 2 does contain a fair amount of cast changes. Notably absent is Gilmore Girls and Parenthood actress Lauren Graham who played Sue in the original movie. This is a bit surprising, as the epilogue of Bad Santa saw Sue taking care of Thurman and his home until Thurman's father is released from prison. The film will undoubtedly address Sue's absence, but I'm disappointed we won't see Lauren Graham in the sequel. Bad Santa was quite the departure from Graham's Gilmore Girls squeaky clean character, so perhaps the actress wanted to abstain and remain as family friendly as possible moving forward.
Luckily for us, some badass actresses are joining the ranks of Bad Santa 2 to even it out. Mad Men's Christina Hendricks is playing Diane, who we can assume will possibly be the new love interest for Willie. Hendricks will also be joined by Academy Award winners Kathy Bates and Octavia Spencer. Bates, seen in the last few moments of the trailer, will be playing Willie's mother. The two obviously share a tumultuous relationship, as Willie is seen punching her in the fact during their brief scene. Octavia Spencer's role will presumably be that of a cameo, playing a sex worker who Willie hires to deflower Thurman.
Bad Santa 2 will hit theaters November 23rd, 2016, essentially tearing up the nice list and burning it.
